Goodell Should Be Pacman’s Ghost

America's model professional sports league is on the runway once again, displaying its stunning features and knack for innovation.

For years, the NFL has been an exhibit of excellence and modernization. In the wake of a recent rash of off-field misdemeanors, North America's most popular league is making the correct steps to try to erase the "bad boy" behavior from the league.

With Tennessee Titans CB Adam "Pacman" Jones, amongst other notable players, again flirting with the law, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he planned to have a tougher conduct policy in place before this year's draft. This is another great decision made by the country's most lucrative league.

For the NFL to continue to flourish, harsher penalties for off-field actions must be implemented. Goodell hasn't said any specifics about what punishment will look like, but if the league continues to "get it," the crackdown will be strong. In a league that channels controlled violence onto a grass field for 60 minutes once a week, there is no need to tolerate extracurricular misconducts.

The only way to curb the influx of poor off-field antics, is to immediately suspend and fine anyone who is proven guilty. Players and coaches love this children's game they get paid to play, so heavy punishment will make players think before they commit a crime.

This kind of action from the league should especially be forced upon repeat offenders. Any player who has been in trouble with the law on several occasions should have the whole rule book, hardcover edition, thrown right back at them. The league doesn't need these players in the league and they should only be allowed to return if they can sufficiently prove their rehabilitation.

Although punishment and rehabilitation are crucial to prevent future actions and condemn previous ones, the most productive plan would also include a program for all players to complete upon entering the league. Lucky for fans of the NFL, Goodell already has an idea of this nature in his plans.

The NFL is preparing a punishment and prevention system that will be promoted in the very near future. Despite this excellent move by the commissioner, it's unlikely the plan will be nearly strong enough. They will try their best, but when the dust settles the league must still maintain a relationship with the players association, which will keep penalties softer.

With this in mind, consider what the NFL should really do to help preserve its position as the best professional sports league in North America.

The plan would be rather simple and wouldn't take a college degree to understand.

First, players will take a mandatory seminar regarding local laws. Players would not be able to play until they have completed the seminar. Apparently, according to Goodell and also evidenced by some actions this year, players do not quite understand what is outside the law. This should clear up any confusion for athletes new to the city.

Inappropriate and acceptable behavior would also be discussed in the mandatory seminar. Educated players generally make much better decisions and ultimately the goal is to prevent actions rather than punish players.

After educating the players, a much stronger push should be made league-wide to promote player attended community events. The more the players who are in the community and interacting with the citizens, the less likely they will commit crimes in their time away from the team. Participation cannot be forced because that would be useless and possibly detrimental, but it would rather be strongly encouraged.

While prevention is a good start, cracking down on players who have already committed an offense is a strong way to make others reconsider poor choices before doing the action.

Each scenario is different depending on the severity of the action, but once a player has been convicted of a crime, the NFL should immediately suspend him for four games without pay to give time for evaluation of a further suspension.

Depending on the crime, the league should have no qualms about suspending a player for a year or two. A lengthy suspension that takes the player out for at least a season is imperative for rehabilitation. Once a player returns, it is much less likely he will re-offend.

If a player has committed an offense twice, suspend him immediately for at least eight games. If it happens a third time, give the player a two-year suspension.

Because of the competitive nature of the sport, coming back from a two-year absence would be difficult for the best of athletes. Such a punishment would really deter players who hope to have a long, successful career in the top professional football league.

Someone like "Pacman" Jones doesn't need to be associated with the NFL. Because of his many offenses, he should receive a heavy suspension that would take him off the Titans roster for two years. If he ever made it back into the league, he would definitely think twice about his actions.

One of the keys to this strong punishment is to completely forget about the players stature in the league when considering the penalty. Any player, be it a starting quarterback or a back-up punter, should be given the exact same punishment.

The NFL should cut loose any "bad boys," even if they are star players. The league will be better for it.

Roger Goodell has done a great job since taking over the commissioner role last September, but his decision about conduct policy will be one of his most important yet. If he gets it right, like the NFL's commissioners have so many times in the past, some heavy suspensions will be handed out and Goodell will become a vaunted ghost in Pacman's off-field games.

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